In the computer industry, use of GUIs is well known for enabling a user to select a particular file of data (such as a word-processing file or a graphics file), from a large available selection. A GUI is a type of display format that enables a user to operate a computer by pointing to pictorial representations, such as windows and icons, displayed on a screen device. A window usually has the shape of a rectangle displayed on a screen. Regardless of shape, a window affords a user workspace within a program and/or operating system. Generally, a user may move the window displayed on the screen, change its size and shape, enlarge it to fill the entire screen, close it entirely, or change how much of the contents of a window are displayed.
To navigate within a GUI, such as to select a particular file to be opened, most operating systems employ a screen cursor or pointer, typically displayed as a small arrow, that allows a user to select individual points on the screen. In operation, the cursor may be moved to a desired location in response to movements of a pointing device (e.g., a mouse, trackball, or equivalent) by the user. In addition to affecting cursor movement, most pointing devices include one or more switches or buttons for specifying additional user input or user events. Because many user choices may be implemented through the use of a pointing device, the need for users to memorize special commands or keystrokes is lessened.
A standard GUI may provide access to a hierarchy of containers into which individual files can be organized. For example, a set of files may be placed in a folder, and a set of folders may be placed in another folder. This layered effect, which is associated with most general GUIs, provides for exceptional organizational features that may be utilized by a user.
When a folder is opened in the context of a GUI, there is typically displayed a rectangular space on the screen, and within the rectangular space is displayed a set of icons, each icon being associated with one file (such as a text or graphics file) in the folder. As previously mentioned, the rectangular space may be generally considered as a window in the context of GUIs. Once a window is opened, the contents of the window are typically displayed as icons that have specific relation to folders and/or file types. For example, word-processing documents are generally all assigned icons of identical basic appearance, such as a sheet of graphically displayed paper with a folded corner, or a stylized capital W embodied within the icon. The use of similar appearing icons for similar items allows users to quickly identify the type of file that is associated with an icon. Filenames are also displayed adjacent to icons in order to aid a user in identifying the type of file associated with the icon.
FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional GUI window. More specifically FIG. 1 illustrates a window 10 that contains a plurality of icons 20 in a partitioned window section 30. The window 10 also includes a supplemental window section 40 that includes menus 50 and 60. Furthermore, the window 10 also includes a standard bar area 70 and a title bar 80.
As is illustrated, the window section 30 includes various icons 20 of differing appearances, each with an associated filename. For example, the icons associated with “Relations.doc,” “Subcross.doc,” and “Wffokcyw.doc” are related to word-processing files, and the icon with the associated filename “Accotink1.jpg” is related to an image file, as are the icons with the associated filenames “Accotink2.jpg” and “Roberta Sacchi.jpg.” The icon associated with filename “Rejections.ppt” is related to a PowerPoint® file. The icon associated with the filename “Unrelated” is not related to particular application, as the filename “Unrelated” does not have an extension that may be used to connect the file to a certain application. The general descriptive nature of the indicated filenames, along with the icons, give a user of an operating system including such a conventional window 10 the ability to determine the general contents of a file before actually opening the file.
Generally, an icon and an icon filename are used to identify the data and the format of the data associated with both the icon and its related filename. In order to gain more detail about the data, the file must be opened so that the format and specifics of the data can be viewed.
In some cases, an icon may include thumbnail data (explained below), which can be viewed by a user. Even though this offers additional information to a user viewing the icon with the thumbnail data, the data is generally very difficult to see, and if the icon size is reduced to a very small size, the thumbnail data may be impossible to discern. In window section 30, the icons associated with filenames “Accotink1.jpg,” “Accotink2.jpg,” and “Roberta Sacchi.jpg” each have thumbnail data.